Embattled South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford should resign, not only for the sake of his state but for his family, GOP gubernatorial hopeful Bob Vander Plaats said in an interview with the Carroll Daily Times Herald. Sanford confessed last week to secretly traveling to Argentina to carry on an extramarital affair.

“I think what it is is a compromise of his leadership and I think honestly he has a family in crisis,” Vander Plaats said. “I think he needs to put his attention on the family right now. If I was counseling him I would say, ‘Governor Sanford, not only for your state but I believe for you and your family I’d resign.’”

Bob Vander PlaatsVander Plaats said his party should be held to a higher standard, and thus, should be judged more harshly over their values. Republicans must decide whether they are going “to walk the walk or just talk the talk” when it comes to family values.

The call for Sanford’s resignation grew louder Wednesday when 14 of South Carolina’s Republican state senators joined 11 Republican members of the state House and six of the state’s biggest newspapers in calling for him to step down.